Per Krafft vanhempi / den äldre / the Elder

Per Krafft the Elder kept a tidy studio in 18th-century Stockholm, where he painted people the way they actually looked—wigs, moles, and all. A friend once told me he’d charge extra if you wanted your portrait to look ten years younger. His brush captured Swedes with the same honesty he applied to lace collars and ink stains. Look up his portrait of Konsuli Konrad Arvid Johan Mandorf; the stern face and folded hands tell you everything you need to know about 1770s power moves.